They had only gone a couple of miles when Tessa asked, “Why is my butt cold?”
“I don’t know, Tessa. I think it’s hot,” Jordan drawled, sliding her a cocky grin.
He thought her ass was hot? She didn’t even know he’d been looking. How did she respond to that? Thank you?
Jordan chuckled at her lack of response and pointed at a button close to her seat. “If you want to stop cooling your backside, push that. If you want to warm it up, push the button below it.”
“I knew about heated seats, but cooling seats? Wow!”
Tessa was curious, so she pushed the button below. A red light came on and she heard more laughter from the sexy driver. “It’s eighty degrees outside, and you’re turning on the seat warmer?”
Stupid curiosity. Tessa was embarrassing herself again. She reached forward and pushed the button until the red light disappeared.
Wordlessly, Jordan reached over and pushed it again before going back to driving. Tessa’s heart thumped at the sweet gesture.
They rode in comfortable silence. She enjoyed the warmth at her back and the air conditioning cooling her front. Since Jordan was absorbed with driving, Tessa allowed herself to soak him in.
He had on dark jeans and a lightweight maroon crewneck sweater. The sweater did nothing to disguise Jordan’s broad shoulders. The color highlighted his bronze skin and made his eyes pop. She admired his long lashes and noticed they almost hit the aviator shades he had on.
Tessa paused when she noticed the weariness in his face. He maneuvered through the traffic with ease, but she sensed his thoughts were far away from this moment.
“We don’t have to do this tonight.” The words slipped out before she thought about it.
Jordan swung his head toward her and then back to the road. “What?”
“You look tired.”
He stopped at a light and turned to study her. All she could see was her reflection staring back at her in his mirrored lenses, but she felt his probing stare. When he started moving with the traffic, he sighed. “Practice officially started this week. I like to think I do a good job of staying in shape, but the first couple of weeks always kicks my ass.”
Her heart did a little happy dance knowing he was being real with her instead of blowing off her concern. “How often do you practice?”
“During the week, we start in the morning at six with strength training and conditioning. Then we have team practice from seven to nine. After classes, we practice again from three-thirty to five-thirty. A couple of nights a week, we study film.”
“Study film?” Tessa had heard of football players doing this, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it entailed.
“Someone films our practices, and we spend time studying it. When it’s closer to game time, we watch the opposing teams’ games and develop our game strategies.”
“Are your weekends free?”
“They’re less busy until our games start. Most of our games are played on Saturdays. Until then, we practice on those days. Weekend practices are usually a little more relaxed.”
Tessa added up the hours in her head. “That’s over twenty hours a week.” She worked the same amount, but it wasn’t as physically demanding. At least with tutoring she could decline jobs if she needed to.
“Yeah. It’s like a part-time job that becomes a full-time job when games start. That’s why I’m trying to get ahead in my classes, but Comp is kicking my butt.” Jordan took his eyes away from the road and with sincerity told her, “I really appreciate your help, Tessa.”
They pulled up to Alessandro’s, a locally owned Italian restaurant. She looked around, wondering if there was a coffee shop close by.
“Why are we here? I thought we were going to a coffee shop.”
Jordan shut off the engine and turned to her. “We can’t go to a coffee shop for our first date.”
Tessa’s jaw unhinged, and she stared at him. “What?”
Jordan’s grin, complete with dimples, was on full display. “Tessa, will you go on a date with me?”
Her stomach felt like butterflies were fluttering around in it trying to escape. He was asking her on a date! Her heart pounded a million times a minute, encouraging her to blurt a yes. Luckily, she still had some of her wits and played it cool.
“Shouldn’t you have asked before we arrived at the restaurant?”
“Since I never know what you’re going to say, I decided to play it safe. I’m pretty confident you won’t turn me down now. Think of how much damage you would do to my ego.”
He didn’t trust that she would say yes? Wow, she must be doing a better job of covering up her crazy when Jordan was around than she thought. Tessa put her hand to her heart and declared earnestly, “Jordan Davis, I would be so honored to go on a date with you.”
She opened her door and met him at the back of the truck.
When Jordan spread his hand on the small of her back, she sucked in her stomach to disguise the shiver that ran straight down to in between her legs. As he opened the door, she used the opportunity to step away from his touch.
Jordan spoke with the maître d', and they were led to a booth in the back of the restaurant. Heads swiveled and whispers ensued as they went past the other customers. She had forgotten the reaction Jordan got while in public when she’d agreed to the date.
“Are you okay?” The concern was evident in his voice.
“Does it get annoying?” Tessa asked.
Jordan looked up, confused. “What?”
“All of the gawking and fawning?”
One side of Jordan’s mouth quirked up. “Fawning?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. He knew what she meant. “How everyone is always looking at you or when they greet you like you’re best friends.”
Jordan leaned forward, thoughtful. “Sometimes, but these are the people that give me life on the court.”
“What do you mean?”
Jordan’s questioning eyes come back to her. “Have you ever been to a basketball game, Tessa?”
She felt her cheeks heating up as she mumbled, “No.”
“Not even a high school game?” Jordan’s incredulous tone made her squirm in her seat.
“No. It never interested me.”
“Did you go to any sporting events in high school?”
Aha! Finally, she could answer in the affirmative. “Yes! I went to a couple of homecoming football games.”
Jordan laughed and sat back. “Did you like them?”
She was reluctant to admit it, but she grumbled out the truth. “No.”
With a broad smile like he was having the time of his life, Jordan continued his interrogation. “Why not?”
“Because I didn’t understand what was going on. People would cheer, and I didn’t know why. I knew what a touchdown was, but I didn’t get the rest of the game.”
“Do you understand basketball?”
“Better than football. Five guys, each basket is two points, sometimes three, and the team with the most points wins. And how did this become an inquisition about my sports knowledge? You never answered my question about all of the attention you get!”
“Sorry,” Jordan said with another shrug. “I’ve just never met anyone like you.”
Tessa wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. “What does that mean?”
She watched different expressions cross Jordan’s face as she waited anxiously for him to answer.
“My dad played professional football, and my mom considered going pro in tennis. I grew up on sports.” Jordan paused, and Tessa waited while he sorted through his thoughts. “I can’t think of anyone around me who wasn’t a sports fanatic.”
He snorted and then added, “Girls always try to impress me with their knowledge of basketball. But you, you’ve never tried to impress me.”
Tessa had to force herself to breathe when Jordan suddenly looked up. She felt like a piece of art the way he was studying her. She was not used to being the center of someone’s attent
ion. When he finally continued, Tessa breathed out.
“There are ten of us playing on the court at one time. Sometimes there are 7,000 people in the watching us play. I can’t explain the rush I feel when I steal the ball or score an impossible basket and the crowd roars. The adrenaline running through me makes me want to do the impossible.”
Tessa would hate the attention, but she could understand the rush it would give someone. “What about at an away game when the 7,000 people are not on your side?”
The cocky smile returned. “Well, then it’s almost as satisfying to shut them up.”
“Really?”
“When you make the shot despite the tight defense, you can literally hear the cheering die away. It’s a rush to know you made it happen.”
Tessa chuckled and nodded at Jordan’s cocky tone and smile.
“You’re coming to a game, Tessa,” Jordan told her, excitement lacing his voice.
It did sound fun the way Jordan described it, but would she really get it? On the other hand, she would get to watch him without him being aware. Tessa could observe him to her heart’s content from afar.
“Come on, Tessa. I’ll tutor you on basketball when you are helping me with Composition.”
“Okay.” What did she have to lose?
“Good. Now ignore the assholes leering at us, and let’s get on with the date.”
Surprisingly, Tessa was able to ignore the gawkers. The more she talked with Jordan, the more they faded away. They spoke about about Tessa’s student teaching, and some of the challenges she faced growing up at a difficult school. Jordan told her about how he got started in basketball, which turned into amusing stories about his childhood.
Tessa was completely at ease and in a happy bubble she didn’t want anyone to pop. Then they pulled up to her apartment complex. Jordan turned off the truck, and the silence was tense. Now what? Tessa flittered her gaze around, not able to look directly at him.
Suddenly it felt like she had run a marathon. Tessa’s heart was beating out of her chest, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Her lips felt like she was in the desert as she desperately wanted to lick them but didn’t want to look like she was asking for a kiss.
Jordan got out of the truck, and Tessa’s giddy anticipation deflated. As soon as he opened her door, she plastered a smile on her face.
“Thanks.”
One side of Jordan’s lips kicked up. “You’re welcome.”
Tessa was pretty sure he was mocking her, but she didn’t stick around to find out. She walked toward the door and pulled it open.
The breath was pulled out of her when Jordan unexpectedly put his hand on her back. He guided her to the wall beside the door. His hands landed beside Tessa’s head, caging her in, and he lowered his head to her lips.
The butterflies fluttering around her stomach were back. She placed her hands on his waist, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the mayhem of feelings his lips created.
Tessa started to slip her hands underneath Jordan’s sweater when he lifted his head just far enough to look her in the eyes.
“Good night, Tessa.”
“Thanks for the date,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome,” Jordan murmured as he brushed his lips across hers before pushing himself off the wall.
__________________
Chapter 12
__________________
“Why are you watching SportsCenter?” Lindy demanded, making Tessa jump.
She stepped into their bedroom, closing the door while waiting for an answer.
“I was channel surfing, and when I heard the University of San Jose I stopped.” Tessa shrugged and looked down at her homework.
“Uh-huh,” Lindy said disbelievingly as she strolled toward her. “And what sport are they talking about?”
She was busted. “Basketball,” Tessa muttered.
“I knew it!” Lindy burst out while pointing her finger at her and plopping down on the bed. “You like him!”
She covered her face with her hands and groaned. “What is wrong with me? All I seem to do is think about him.”
Lindy took Tessa’s wrists and lowered her hands to her lap. With a fierce gaze, she looked Tessa in the eyes. “There is nothing wrong with you. That’s what we girls do. We fantasize about our crush.”
Tessa contemplated what Lindy said, but she still felt like a jock groupie. “You don’t think it’s a little pathetic that I’m tuning into SportsCenter just to hear about him?”
Lindy waved away her concern. “If you become an obsessed stalker, I’ll talk you down. In the meantime, enjoy your first serious crush. Now tell me what you’ve learned!”
“A lot of statistics that mean nothing to me but seem to impress the analysts. If he can stay healthy, he will be the number one draft pick. They seemed amazed that he didn’t leave college as a freshman to go pro.”
“Yeah, every year there is a buzz around campus wondering if he will be returning. And every year, the girls set their sights on him.”
Tessa’s phone vibrated. It was Jordan.
“Hello,” Tessa answered with her heart knocking against her chest.
“I’m at practice, so I don’t have a lot of time. Can you come to the athletic center at three-thirty to help me with Comp?”
Jordan’s brisk tone deflated some of her excitement, but Tessa reminded herself she still owed him tutoring.
“It’s Saturday.”
Lindy smacking her hand against her forehead made her realize what a ridiculous response she had given.
“Yes, it’s Saturday,” Jordan said while chuckling.
Four sharp whistles cut through the line, and he turned all business. “I gotta get going. Can you be here at three-thirty?”
“Yes.”
“See you then.”
As Tessa was putting the phone down, Lindy asked with unconcealed excitement, “Did he ask you out for real this time?”
“No,” she answered firmly, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach. “He wanted to know if I could meet him at the athletic center for a tutoring session. It is not a date.”
Lindy walked over to their shared closet and opened the door. “Okay, but you are not wearing those joggers and that t-shirt.”
For once, Tessa was all for Lindy helping her with her wardrobe.
_________________________
Tessa entered the eerily quiet, dimly lit center and made her way to the court. She dug her phone out and texted Jordan.
T: I’m here. Where are you?
He responded right away.
J: There in a sec.
Tessa wandered over to the chairs on the sidelines and put her backpack down. She took in the place's vast emptiness and tried to picture being on the court while it was filled with people. It made her uncomfortable imagining all those eyes on her.
“What are you thinking?”
Jordan materialized from the shadows, and Tessa took a minute to admire him freshly showered. The black track pants hanging on his hips only highlighted his trim waist. The gray San Jose t-shirt hugged his well-formed arms, and his finger-combed hair was still wet.
Tessa forced herself to look away from his magnetism as she gestured around to the empty seats. “I can’t picture myself playing in front of this many people and not have an anxiety attack that would lead to a heart attack.”
Jordan’s eyes crinkled as he chuckled, drawing her attention back to him. He slid his bag across the court where it landed next to her feet and strode toward the rack of balls under the hoop.
After Jordan snagged a ball, he walked back to Tessa. He stopped a couple feet from her and started looking up at the seats, seemingly lost in thought.
“The night before my first college game, I came here to shoot around.”
After a few moments of silence, Tessa softly prodded. “Were you nervous?”
Jordan’s brows came together and one side of his mouth quirked up. “It was a strange feeling.”
He spun the ba
ll on his index finger, stopped it, and then started the process all over again. “Basketball has always been my escape. When I step onto the court, everything except how to win falls away.”
Jordan let his eyes wander. Tessa was fascinated with this introspective side of him. She saw what she assumed to be fond memories soften his face. Eventually, he turned his gaze back to her.
“As soon as I’m on the court, I feel at home. When I stepped onto this court, I felt the pressure. I was feeling the pressure of being the freshman phenom, and the pressure to live up to the hype. The night before my first game, I was hoping to ease my nerves when I came here.”
Tessa studied Jordan’s face. He was reliving that moment. The depth and feeling in his words were obvious, and Tessa could see the vulnerability he must have felt then. Her heart ached for the unimaginable pressure an eighteen-year-old Jordan must have been under.
She had been a nervous wreck as a freshman trying to find her way around campus and fighting the feeling that she didn’t belong. Having the whole school know you and expect you to bring a championship to campus was unfathomable.
Without breaking their connection, Tessa asked, “Did it work?”
The side of Jordan’s mouth tilted up. “Once I got into a rhythm and the ball started to fall into the hoop, my worries dissolved. I realized the pre-game fluff was going to suck. Once the game started, my love for the game would drown—,” he waved his hand around, “—all this out.”
“What’s the fluff before the game?”
Jordan barked out a laugh, shook his head, and started dribbling the ball toward her. “Get up, Parker. When you come to a game this season, I want you to understand how fabulous I am.”
“Ah, I already think you’re fabulous?” Tessa said, praying Jordan would drop his quest to get her to play basketball. There was a reason she’d done a happy dance when she didn’t have to take PE anymore. Coordination was not her friend.
Jordan widened his grin, and he strode forward. He extended his free hand toward her. “We’re not leaving until I make sure you understand the love of my life.”
Tessa rolled her eyes, even as she felt herself weakening.
“Please, Tessa?”
Breaking Tessa: A College Sport Romance Page 8